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This Day in History


ZJJ

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May 6

1889

The Universal Exposition opened in Paris, marking the completion and dedication of the Eiffel Tower.

1937

The German airship Hindenburg blew up and burst into flames at Lakehurst, N.J.

1941

Dictator Joseph Stalin became the premier of Russia.

1954

British athlete Roger Bannister became the first person to run a mile in under four minutes (3:59:4).

1994

The Chunnel between England and France officially opened.

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To put this in the correct thread.... ;)

Just out of interest, has that record been re-broken since it was set all those years back?

New Mile World Record at Golden Gala by El Guerrouj

and Sullivan runs his second fastest Mile at GOLDEN GALA

JULY 7TH, 1999

GOLDEN GALA - Roma, Italy -- Grand Prix Track & Field

Hichman El Guerouj of Morocco shatters the mile world record by over a second at the Golden Gala Mile in Roma, Italy in a time of 3:43.13. The old record 3:44.39 was set by Morceli Noureddine of Algeria back in September 1993 at Rieti. Noah Ngeny of Kenya also runs under the old record with a time of 3:43.40. El Guerouj set the 1500 meter record, 3:26:00, here in Roma less then a year ago. Ann Arbor's Kevin Sullivan was also in the world record setting mile, and he run's his second fastest time 3:52.96.

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May 7

1824

Beethoven's 9th Symphony premiered in Vienna.

1915

The British ocean liner Lusitania was sunk by a German submarine in World War I off the coast of Ireland.

1945

Germany unconditionally surrendered to the allies in Rheims, France.

1992

The 27th Amendment to the Constitution, prohibiting mid-term Congressional pay raises, was ratified.

1994

Edvard Munch's painting, The Scream was recovered a few months after it had been stolen.

1999

During action against Yugoslavia, NATO jets mistakenly bombed the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, killing three and injuring 20.

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May 8

1877

The first Westminister Dog Show was held.

1902

Mount Pelee on Martinique erupted, destroying the town of St. Pierre, and killing 40,000 people.

1945

V-E Day marks the European victory of the Allies in World War II.

1978

David Berkowitz, a.k.a. the “Son of Sam,” plead guilty to killing six people in New York City.

1985

The first cans of New Coke rolled out of bottling and canning plants on this day—the 99th anniversary of Coca-Cola.

1999

The Citadel in South Carolina graduated its first female cadet, Nancy Mace.

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May 9

1914

Mother's Day became a public holiday.

1926

Explorers Richard E. Byrd and Floyd Bennett flew over the North Pole.

1960

The U.S. became the first country to legalize the birth control pill.

1962

The Beatles signed their first recording contract and hired George Martin to be their producer.

1978

The body of slain former Italian prime minister Aldo Moro was found in an automobile in Rome.

1984

It took the Chicago White Sox 25 innings, eight hours, and six minutes, over two days, to finally defeat the Milwaukee Brewers, 7-6. It was the longest game (in elapsed time) in major-league history.

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May 10

1863

Confederate General Stonewall Jackson died after being accidentally shot by his own troops.

1869

The United States’ first transcontinental railroad was completed with a ceremony in Promontory Point, Utah.

1924

J. Edgar Hoover became director of the FBI.

1940

Winston Churchill succeeded Neville Chamberlain as British prime minister.

1994

Nelson Mandela was sworn in as South Africa's first black president.

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May 11

1858

Minnesota became the 32nd state in the United States.

1927

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was founded.

1949

Siam changed its name to Thailand.

1981

Reggae performer Bob Marley died of cancer in Miami at the age of 36.

1997

IBM's supercomputer, Deep Blue defeated Garry Kasparov, the reigning world champion, in a six game chess match (2 for blue, 1 for Kasparov, and 3 ties).

1998

India set off atomic blasts.

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May 12

1870

Manitoba became a province of Canada.

1888

Charles Sherrill of the Yale track team became the first runner to use the crouching start for a fast break in a foot race.

1937

Britain’s King George VI was crowned at Westminster Abbey in London.

1970

Harry A. Blackmun was confirmed as a Supreme Court justice.

1970

Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks, swatted his 500th home run.

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May 13

1568

Mary Queen of Scots was defeated at the Battle of Langside and immediately fled to North England.

1846

The United States formally declared war on Mexico after several days of fighting.

1938

Louis Armstrong and his orchestra recorded the New Orleans's jazz classic, When the Saints Go Marching In, on Decca Records.

1973

Tennis male chauvinist Bobby Riggs defeated Margaret Smith Court, 6-2, 6-1 in front of a world-wide television audience. He would lose to Billie Jean King later that year.

1981

Pope John Paul II was shot and wounded by Mehmet Ali Agca as he drove through a crowd in St. Peter's Square, Rome.

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May 14

1862

Adolphe Nicole of Switzerland patented the chronograph—a timepiece that allows for split second timing of sporting events.

1904

The Olympic Games were held in the United States for the first time, in St. Louis, Missouri.

1948

British rule in Palestine came to an end as The Jewish National Council proclaimed the State of Israel. Within hours, Israel was under attack from Arab forces.

1955

The Warsaw Pact was signed by the Soviet Union and seven other Communist bloc countries. It finally dissolved in 1991.

1973

Skylab, the United States’ first space station, was launched into orbit.

1998

Frank Sinatra died at the age of 82.

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Great stuff zjj keep it coming. Maybe some of these "young whipper snappers" will finally learn some history. ;););););):hehe::hehe::rolleyes::rolleyes:

Stout Hearts

Warhawk

Thanks for the feedback, Warhawk. I was wondering if these were useful to anyone or if I was just wasting my time. :unsure:

May 15

1718

London lawyer James Puckle patented the world’s first machine gun.

1862

The U.S. Department of Agriculture was created by an act of Congress on this day.

1918

The first air mail route in the U.S. was established between New York and Washington, DC, with a stop at Philadelphia.

1930

On a United Airlines flight between San Francisco and Cheyenne, Wash., Ellen Church became the first airline stewardess.

1940

Nylon stockings went on sale for the first time in the United States.

1972

Alabama Governor George Wallace was shot and crippled as he campaigned for the presidency.

1988

The Soviet Union began to withdraw its estimated 115,000 troops from Afghanistan.

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May 16

1770

Marie Antoinette married the future King Louis XVI of France.

1929

The first Academy Awards were given on this night. The term, Oscars, was not used to describe the statuettes given to actors and actresses until 1931.

1946

The Irving Berlin musical, Annie Get Your Gun, opened on Broadway.

1975

Japanese climber Junko Tabei became the first woman to summit Mount Everest.

1985

Michael Jordan was named "Rookie of the Year" in the National Basketball Association.

1997

President Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire ended 32 years of autocratic rule when rebel forces led by Laurent Kabila expelled him from the country.

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May 17

1792

The New York Stock Exchange was established when a group of 24 brokers and merchants met by a tree on what is now Wall Street and signed the Buttonwood Agreement.

1875

The first Kentucky Derby was held at Churchill Downs, in Louisville, Kentucky.

1938

NBC aired the Information Please quiz show on the radio for the first time.

1954

The Supreme Court ruled unanimously against segregation in schools in Brown v. Board of Education.

1973

Televised Watergate hearings opened, headed by North Carolina senator Sam Ervin.

1987

An Iraqi warplane attacked the U.S.S. Stark in the Persian Gulf, killing 37 American sailors and wounding 62.

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May 17

1987

An Iraqi warplane attacked the U.S.S. Stark in the Persian Gulf, killing 37 American sailors and wounding 62.

A day that changed some "well thought out firefighting techniques". Also a day that proved the worth of the Perry Class Frigate.

Stout Hearts

Warhawk

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May 18

1804

Napoleon Bonaparte was proclaimed Emperor of France by the French Senate.

1896

The Supreme Court affirmed racial segregation in Plessy v. Ferguson as "separate but equal."

1920

Pope John Paul II was born near Krakow, Poland.

1953

Jacqueline Cochran became the first woman to fly faster than the speed of sound.

1974

India became the 6th country to become a nuclear power.

1980

Mount St. Helens, in Washington state, erupted after being dormant for 123 years.

2000

A bill was finally passed that removed the Confederate flag from the South Carolina statehouse.

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May 19

1536

Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII, was beheaded.

1921

Congress passed the Emergency Quota Act, establishing national quotas for immigrants.

1928

The first annual Calaveras County "Frog Jumping Jubilee" was held in Angel's Camp, California.

1935

British author and soldier, T. E. Lawrence, also known as "Lawrence of Arabia," died from injuries sustained in a motorcycle crash.

1994

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis died in New York.

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May 20

1861

North Carolina voted to secede from the Union.

1927

Charles Lindbergh began the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight, departing from Long Island aboard the Spirit of Saint Louis.

1932

Amelia Earhart took off from Newfoundland to become the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic.

1978

Mavis Hutchinson, 53, became the first woman to run across America. The 3,000-mile trek took her 69 days. She ran an average of 45 miles each day.

1996

In a 6-3 vote, the Supreme Court rejected a Colorado measure banning laws that protect homosexuals from discrimination.

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May 21

1542

Spanish explorer Hernando De Soto died while searching for gold on the banks of the Mississippi River.

1881

Clara Barton founded what became the American Red Cross.

1927

Charles Lindbergh became the first person to fly across the Atlantic (from New York to Paris) in his monoplane, The Spirit of St. Louis.

1932

Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean (from Newfoundland to Ireland).

1956

The first hydrogen bomb to be dropped by air exploded over the Bikini Atoll in the Pacific.

1989

In Hong Kong, approximately one million people took to the streets to show their support for students protesting for democratic reforms in China’s Tiananmen Square.

1998

Indonesian President Suharto resigned.

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May 22

1455

The first battle in the 30-year War of Roses took place at St. Albans.

1761

The first life insurance policy in the United States was issued in Philadelphia.

1849

Abraham Lincoln received patent number 6469 for his floating dry dock.

1927

An earthquake near Xining, China, measuring 8.3 claimed approximately 200,000 victims.

1972

Richard Nixon arrived in Moscow, becoming the first U.S. president to visit the Soviet Union.

1992

Johnny Carson hosted the last episode of his Tonight Show.

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May 23

1788

South Carolina became the 8th state in United States.

1873

The North West Mounted Police force was formed in Canada. It would later be known as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

1911

The New York Public Library, the largest marble structure ever built in the United States, was dedicated in New York City after 16 years of construction.

1934

Bonnie (Parker) and Clyde (Barrow) were killed in a police shootout.

1949

The German Federal Republic came into existence.

1960

Israeli agents captured Nazi Adolf Eichmann in Argentina.

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